THE Government announced this week the lifting of the foot and mouth infected area restrictions in the Tavistock area.
The line now comes in just south of Launceston, enters Dartmoor north of Tavistock and up to Crediton, enveloping much of north Devon and south Somerset.
In Tavistock, this will mean that farmers may take their animals to any slaughterhouse willing to take them, provided the journey is uninterrupted and takes less than four and a half hours. The requirement for a vet inspection is lifted.
Farmers can also apply to move their animals, though they will not be able to move them to any farm in an area provisionally free of the disease.
A DEFRA spokesman said: 'Lifting restrictions in infected areas is a rigorous process. It involves veterinary inspections and the laboratory testing of animals on farms around the infected premises to make sure the disease has not been overlooked.'